The safety net of the safety net: How federally qualified health centers 'subsidize' Medicaid managed care

The impact of neoliberalism and welfare reform on the delivery of Medicaid, specifically how the advent of Medicaid managed care (MMC) are wrought with contradictions, placing increased burdens on primary safety-net organizations and impacting the many communities they serve are examined. It is argued that federally qualified health centers (FQHCs) operate as a primary safety net among safety-net providers, supporting and subsidizing New Mexico's MMC program financially and administratively.